[Aunt Sally]

They are the type of lids I like for jam.

[sunshineband]

Are the lids lug type or continuous thread? I didn't see it mentioned in the description.

They are

63mm twist off lids heatsealable and vinegar proof

They have the raised middle that pops down on cooling, to show the top has sealed properly.

[/b]

This is the sort I like to use too   

[Snoop]

Has anyone tried Weck jars?

They have them listed on Amazon.co.uk.

It will cost me an arm and a leg to get jars sent over from the UK and I can't get anything suitable for bottling locally except at an extortionate price that works out more expensive than shipping them over from the UK. However, I could get Weck jars sent from France for a bit less (http://www.mcm-europe.fr/en/35-weck-glass-jars), but with the advantage that the replaceable gaskets are just under eleven euros for a hundred, making them quite cheap in comparison with other systems. As the lid is glass, there's no need to buy replaceable lids.

Before I go ahead and order some, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with them.

[GrannieAnnie]

Awww Snoop, no I have never heard of Weck before, but just looked at their website.  Lovely jars and so cheap!  Wonder how much postage is to UK?   mmmmmmmmmmm   

[GrannieAnnie]

OOoohhhhh I LOVE this one!   

http://www.mcm-europe.fr/en/bonbonnes-et-bonbonnieres/654-bonbonne-autenthic-style-mason-jar-avec-robinet-125-l-haut-35-cm.html

[Snoop]

I imagine the shipping charges will be very expensive, but given that I will have to ship them from somewhere, that makes no odds to me. For the UK it would work out expensive as you have other options. Maybe you could do a trial run online order to work out shipping and then cancel before final confirmation.

You can get Weck jars via Amazon. The jars work out more expensive, but the delivery would be significantly less. Maybe the thing to do would be to order the jars from Amazon and the spare gaskets directly from this supplier, as the spare gaskets via Amazon work out very expensive in comparison.

I have to say, they do have some lovely jars. I was quite intrigued by the sterilisers too. I had a look at the Weck site and they claim that American-style pressure cookers are not approved for use in Europe, which is why they're so difficult to get hold of here, short of paying an arm and a leg for shipping from the States.

[LotuSeed]

Not to split hairs, but a pressure cooker is not the same thing as a pressure canner. A pressure canner can be used as a pressure cooker but a pressure cooker isn't suitable for use as a canner.  The Weck website says that the jars can be used for pressure canning, though I think I read that three clamps are used instead of two.  I wouldn't have any qualms using them for waterbath canning, maybe a little more hesitant to use them in a pressure canner, but that has more to do with the fact that Ball jars are cheaper here and so that's what I'm used to using. 

[GrannieAnnie]

I imagine the shipping charges will be very expensive, but given that I will have to ship them from somewhere, that makes no odds to me. For the UK it would work out expensive as you have other options. Maybe you could do a trial run online order to work out shipping and then cancel before final confirmation.

You can get Weck jars via Amazon. The jars work out more expensive, but the delivery would be significantly less. Maybe the thing to do would be to order the jars from Amazon and the spare gaskets directly from this supplier, as the spare gaskets via Amazon work out very expensive in comparison.

I have to say, they do have some lovely jars. I was quite intrigued by the sterilisers too. I had a look at the Weck site and they claim that American-style pressure cookers are not approved for use in Europe, which is why they're so difficult to get hold of here, short of paying an arm and a leg for shipping from the States.

I know what you mean about the jars Snoop, they are gorgeous aren't they?  I will look on Amzon.  I did notice the delivery from Weck was quite expensive.  It's free if you buy £2,000 worth though! 

[Snoop]

I know what you mean about the jars Snoop, they are gorgeous aren't they?  I will look on Amzon.  I did notice the delivery from Weck was quite expensive.  It's free if you buy £2,000 worth though! 

GrannieAnnie, I've managed to find a couple of suppliers in Spain. Slightly more expensive than the site I linked to, but free delivery for over 50 euros! I can't believe it, as I was starting to think that bottling was a silly idea due to the price of importing jars from the UK. But it looks like as if this time next year I'll be bottling away! I'm as pleased as punch.

It's amazing they're available in Spain (the habit of bottling has really declined here - where I live in the countryside people have taken to freezing surplus produce instead). The fact that I can get these jars here suggests you might be able to find them from other independent suppliers in the UK, where there's much more of a tradition of jam and pickle making.

Good luck!

[GrannieAnnie]

Thanks Snoop, yes I have found some with reasonable delivery charges on Amazon too, but the problem now is, which ones to get! LOL

Thinking of getting some nice ones for my best friend for Christmas too, she likes that sort of thing, if she has any spare room in her tiny kitchen! LOL

So pleased you found a supplier in Spain too!   

[Snoop]

Excellent! Bet your friend loves them.

[Dave NE]

We are going to use plastic zip lock bags this year and try and flat pack them for easy storage in the freezer, cheers Dave

[jambop]

Down here we use this type for bottling http://www.leparfait.co.uk/le-parfait-familia-wiss-terrines.html

However here is a tip for a cheap alternative specifically for passata... disposable beer bottles ! I don't know if they are available in the UK but I regularly buy Stella Artois in a pack of 24  250ml bottles they have a twist off crown cap. I save the bottles and the caps and reuse them after washing. The 250ml bottle is the perfect size for making enough pasta sauce for two people. What I do is make the passata and then warm the clean bottles in the oven. Then add the passata through a funnel to about 3/4 " from the top the screw on the cleaned crown cap. Then into the boiling water bath for 45mins. If I use a pressure cooker I put the crown cap on but do not fully seat it then process them in the pressure cooker for 30 mins on high pressure let the pressure come down and then screw the cap down fully while still hot using heat resistant gloves... works perfectly!

[jaydig]

We are going to use plastic zip lock bags this year and try and flat pack them for easy storage in the freezer, cheers Dave

I use ziplock bags in the freezer for my pasta sauce and soups, and find that it saves loads of room.

[compostqueen]

Speaking of Jars, I was given a jar of Lidl green olives in a really large, swanky jar!  I've emptied it and put it through the dishwasher ready for preserving something in it. Not sure what yet. Has anyone else had one/seen it?